Medpage TodayThousands of doctors are objecting to President-elect Donald Trump's pick of Rep. Tom Price, M.D., to lead the Department of Health and Human Services – and then there are thousands who think it's a great idea. The AMA along with several dozen other "organized medicine" voices like the choice, but those who are opposed are waging a digital campaign to publicize their dismay at Price, Trump, and the AMA.READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareOnline review tools like Yelp may not offer a structured look into what patients experience, providers should pay attention to the window it does open into their satisfaction and individual care experiences. Providers fear putting too much stock into public rating sites, according to a Viewpoint article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, because the responses may not offer a balance of patient experiences, but research suggests that sites like Yelp may rate the patient experience better than common professional surveys like the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS).READ MORE

KPCCA new federal law that took effect on Jan. 1 will usher in a change in the way many doctors and other medical providers who see Medicare patients are paid: Starting in 2019, they will receive bonuses or penalties based in part on patient satisfaction.READ MORE

Medpage TodaySomeday, we may miss the quaint idea of going to see your doctor for your medical concerns. I realize taking your children to see their doc is a pain. So is taking your car into the mechanic, waiting for the cable guy, or going out for groceries. There are other things you'd rather be doing with your time. Can a quick phone call substitute for a doctor visit? At least one huge insurance company thinks so. My family's health insurance comes from Aetna Healthcare (the letters of which can be rearranged to spell "At Heartache Lane".) They're really pushing me to try "Teladoc" (which, ironically, can be rearranged to spell "late doc" or "eat clod" or "led taco").READ MORE

NewsmaxA federal judge in Texas recently ordered a halt to another Obama administration effort to strengthen transgender rights, this time over health rules that social conservatives say could force doctors to violate their religious beliefs.READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareThe cancellation of a pilot program, which would have been mandatory for all providers and suppliers that furnish and bill for Medicare Part B drugs, was welcome news for physicians. Numerous organizations applauded the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' decision to cancel its proposed five-year Part B payment model demonstration. The model would have created incentives for patients and physicians to select lower-cost, high-performing drugs that are administered at medical facilities.READ MORE

Medpage TodayNurse anesthetists will not be able to independently administer anesthesia – at least as of now – in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities under a final rule issued Tuesday that scaled back an earlier proposal. “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is amending its medical regulations to permit full practice authority of three roles of VA advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) when they are acting within the scope of their VA employment,” the agency said in the rule. “Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) will not be included in VA’s full practice authority under this final rule, but comment is requested on whether there are access issues or other unconsidered circumstances that might warrant their inclusion in a future rulemaking.”READ MORE

Medpage TodayWith statistics now suggesting that doctors (and nurses) are spending an absolute minimal amount of their day engaging in direct patient care – some research suggesting as little as 10 percent for new doctors, with the majority of the rest staring at a screen – healthcare really finds itself at a crossroads. Do we stay true to our ideals as physicians, keeping medicine essentially a social and personable profession? Or do we reduce doctors to "type-and-click bots," who spend the vast bulk of their day performing data entry tasks and furiously clicking and checking off boxes instead of spending time with their patients and thinking problems through carefully?READ MORE

Fierce HealthcareLurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago opened its transgender clinic just four years ago but already has 500 patients and has seen a jump in the number of younger patients seeking care. Indeed, patients have to wait four months to get an appointment. That’s one just example of the demand for medical care to treat transgender youth, according to STAT. There’s both a need for more clinicians to provide medical care for young patients who believe they have been born into the wrong body and for earlier treatment, the report says.READ MORE

KQEDWith the enactment of a new "Right to Try" law, California joins 31 other states that have already passed legislation to support patients’ efforts to access experimental drugs. As of Jan. 1, state agencies and licensing boards will not penalize California doctors or hospitals that want to help patients directly petition pharmaceutical companies for the investigational drugs.READ MORE

Times of San DiegoIf you’re a Medi-Cal patient, getting a timely appointment with a doctor has never been easy. But two statewide reports say that for San Diego beneficiaries, whose numbers have increased 22 percent in two years, it’s especially tough. That’s because primary care doctors here are less likely to accept new Medi-Cal patients than in most other regions in the state. Janet Coffman, a researcher at the University of California San Francisco’s Institute for Health Policy Studies and the author of two foundation reports on the subject, emphasized the problem is worse in San Diego.READ MORE

KQEDRiverside County plans to connect former inmates with health clinics and social services. Orange County hopes to get homeless residents into housing – and help them stay there. Placer County is opening a respite center where homeless patients can go after they leave the hospital. Those are just some of the pilot projects in a $3 billion experimental effort officials hope will improve the health of California’s most vulnerable populations. The effort is a recognition that improving people’s health will take more than just getting them insured.READ MORE